Monday, October 10, 2011

Though this video is very disturbing, it's not really graphic, which should make it a little easier to watch, which I encourage everyone to do. Remember, the Obama administration supported the removal of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt; it touted the Arab spring as a peaceful revolution that everyone should rally behind. Despite the early warning signs that the Muslim Brotherhood was going to fill the vacuum, coupled with examples like the assault on CBS reporter Lara Logan, the media continued the meme which said the Arab spring was a good thing. Contrast the video you are about to see with what happened in Tiananmen Square in 1989. The photo is legendary. A man standing in front of several tanks, dares them to run him over.

Contrast that with what happened in Egypt recently. Coptic Christians have been the real losers in the Arab Spring that saw the fall of Hosni Mubarak. They are suffering persecution the likes of which westerners cannot imagine. After staging a protest in front of a television station, an Egyptian military vehicle began mowing down protesters in the street. Meanwhile, the western media is practically silent. Folks, Barack Obama has blood on his hands here. He outwardly stood with this revolution and a coherent, forceful US Policy could have prevented this.

Seemingly never unable to spin any affront to the liberal cause, the Associated Press tends to word things a bit differently. The Headline SHOULD be: 'Egyptian Military Vehicles Mow Down Helpless Christians.' Instead, it's 'More Clashes Erupt in Egypt.' In fact, you have to get to the fifth paragraph before the subject even comes up. Prior to that, the Christians are portrayed as a violent, out-of-control bunch who seemed to bring the violence on themselves. Here are the first four paragraphs:

Several hundred Christians pelted police with rocks outside a Cairo hospital Monday in fresh clashes the day after 24 people died in riots that grew out of a Christian protest against a church attack. Sunday's sectarian violence was the worst in Egypt since the uprising that ousted Hosni Mubarak in February.

Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf warned in a televised address that the riots were another setback on the country's already fraught transition to civilian rule after three decades of Mubarak's authoritarian government.

"These events have taken us back several steps," Sharaf said. He blamed foreign meddling for the troubles, claiming it was part of a "dirty conspiracy." Similar explanations for the troubles in Egypt are often heard from the military rulers who took power from Mubarak, perhaps at attempt to deflect accusations that they are bungling the management of the country.

"Instead of moving forward to build a modern state on democratic principles, we are back to seeking stability and searching for hidden hands — domestic and foreign — that meddle with the country's security and safety," Sharaf said.

It isn't until the next paragraph that the AP even discusses what should be the headline of the story. Also, take note that the forces behind the slaughter of the Copts are branded as being 'ultra conservative' by the AP:

The clashes Sunday night raged over a large section of downtown Cairo and drew in Christians, Muslims and security forces. They began when about 1,000 Christian protesters tried to stage a sit-in outside the state television building along the Nile in downtown Cairo. The protesters said they were attacked by "thugs" with sticks and the violence then spiraled out of control after a speeding military vehicle jumped up onto a sidewalk and rammed into some of the Christians.

Most of the 24 people killed were Coptic Christians, though officials said at least three soldiers were among the dead. Nearly 300 people were injured. Egypt's official news agency said dozens have been arrested.

The latest clashes Monday broke out outside the Coptic hospital where many of the Christian victims were taken the night before. The screams of grieving women rang out from inside the hospital and some of the hundreds of men gathered outside held wooden crosses. Empty coffins were lined up outside the hospital.

There were no word on casualties from Monday's clashes.

Christians, who make up about 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million people, blame the ruling military council for being too lenient on those behind a spate of anti-Christian attacks since Mubarak's ouster. The chaotic power transition has left a security vacuum, and the Coptic Christian minority is particularly worried about a show of force by ultraconservative Islamists, known as Salafis.